Imaging Deep Haemorrhage and Ischaemia in Preterm Infants' Heads with Time-Domain Near-Infrared Optical Tomography:...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging
• Neonatal Neurology

Background:

• Brain lesions are common in preterm infants, leading to disabilities.
• Early detection of cerebral ischaemia/hypoxia and haemorrhage is crucial for neuroprotection.
• A novel time-domain near-infrared optical tomography (TD-NIROT) system has been developed for neonatal brain oxygenation imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the effectiveness of the TD-NIROT system.
• To assess its capability in detecting deep ischaemia/hypoxia and haemorrhages.
• To evaluate diagnostic imaging for neonatal brain oxygenation.

Main Methods:

• Fabricated spherical silicone phantoms mimicking preterm infant heads.
• Embedded inclusions simulating ischaemia and haemorrhage at 30 mm depth.
• Collected time-domain data and performed image reconstruction using Dice similarity.

Main Results:

• The TD-NIROT system accurately located simulated haemorrhage.
• Ischaemia was detected with a slightly shifted position (Dice similarity 0.47 and 0.27).
• Image reconstruction demonstrated promising accuracy in the phantom model.

Conclusions:

• The TD-NIROT system successfully detected deep haemorrhages and ischaemia in a phantom model.
• The imaging accuracy suggests potential for clinical application.
• Further development is encouraged for diagnosing and monitoring neonatal brain injuries.